By Brett Ratner he philosophy behind Gibson's new All American series is obvious from the finished product-provide Gibson quality and prestige at a reasonable cost. It was an easy enough goal to state but an almost impossible one to achieve, because "Gibson quality and prestige" meant that the guitars had to be made in the USA. Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz explained the challenge: "Gibson has always been in the lead by providing the most exquisite instruments in the world," Juszkiewicz said. "When you see the Gibson name on a product, you know that nothing was spared in making the ultimate. This often means that these instruments are very high-priced, and with scarcities, increasing in price year to year." "We at Gibson wanted to give the average musician a chance to experience the beauty of Gibson's American craftsmanship at a more affordable price. We set our top manufacturing, purchasing and engineering people on this 'impossible' task." "They did it." The fruit of Juszkiewicz's vision is the "All American" series--six new guitars that offer "made in America" quality with a U.S. suggested list price under $1000. The American I is an SG body style with one humbucking pickup. The American II revives the double-cutaway Melody Maker body with two single coils. The M-III features three humbuckers, exclusive gearless tuners and Jam Trem. The Paul II is an all-mahogany axe with a carved top, two humbuckers and classic Les Paul shape. The Hawk sports two humbuckers and a stop bar tailpiece on a Nighthawk body. One of the "top people" tapped by Juszkiewicz to design the series is Gibson R&D head J.T. Riboloff, who offered his insight on why these guitars are a great value and how Juszkiewicz's "impossible" task was accomplished. "First of all, they're made in America," Riboloff said. "They're made at the same Gibson plant where our high-dollar Gibson instruments are made. We are able to save some costs on these by eliminating some process time but we don't cut corners on the materials. The guitars themselves still feel like a Gibson and play like a Gibson. They have real Gibson pickups, real Gibson hardware, the whole shot." Riboloff went on to explain how value was added and costs were trimmed on specific models. "The Melody Maker is officially known as the All American II, which means that it has two pickups," Riboloff said. "The pickups were designed to be classic-sounding single-coils. But I was able to eliminate several parts normally used on the pickups which are highly expensive, without sacrificing the tone." "The M-III is possibly the best value out of the series," Ribiloff continued. "It's got some really expensive hardware on it," J.T. said. "We were able to save in the wood and some of the processes of the wood. For example, the front of the headstock is painted the same color as the rest of the guitar. We were able to save the customer some money by not having to have somebody tape off the front of the headstock. The wood in the M-III is a domestic wood. All the wood used on that model is grown in the United States so we don't have to pay import duties. The woods are not an endangered species at all. We use poplar and maple on that one." "The Paul II is probably going to be the most sought-after of that bunch. It's a Les Paul body shape and a Les Paul-style carved top. It has an all-mahogany body which, to me, gives it a warmer sound. It's going to be a little milder-sounding than a regular Les Paul. It's certainly a winner." Juszkiewicz is proud that Gibson now offers entry level instruments with true American pride built in. "By streamlining and a little bit of magic and ingenuity we were able to bring Gibson instruments to a new price point without going overseas as most of our competition has," Juszkiewicz said. "We are proud of these new instruments, and proud that we can bring our craftsmanship, history, and excellence to many more players."